My Beast
by Fanun
Summary: Although Ike doesn't like people he might open his heart for Link in a different form... but is it enough to make him love him? Wolf Link/Ike/Link!
1. The Beast of Faron Woods

Hi there! This is Fanun! _My Beast_ is also a story originally published as _The Fortunate Ones_. We were working on a sequel when our account crashed and so we decided to revamp the whole thing! Hopefully you'll like this as much as the original one-shot!

**WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Boys' love! Wolf Link/Ike/Link! Don't like, don't read!**

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><p><strong>MY BEAST<strong>

**CHAPTER 1: The Beast of Faron Woods**

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><p>Ilia trotted fast to catch up with the stranger on horseback.<p>

"Hey, mister… Are you really going to go through the forest?" She shouted after him.

Ike glanced at the young girl over his shoulder, she looked up at him with large blue eyes, her blonde hair tousled by the wind. "It's the fastest route." He replied without even slowing down.

"You shouldn't go through there!" Ilia insisted, trotting next to his horse. "There's a vicious beast in the forest! No one dares to go there… We've set up traps to catch it but haven't had any luck so far…"

"How many people has it killed?" Ike asked, looking straight ahead. He was in a hurry to attend the Smash Tournament and arriving late would mean being disqualified, the vicious beast of the forest would have to be twice as intimidating as the Black Knight and four times as big to scare him off.

"Killed?" The girl asked, struggling to keep up his pace. "I don't… know… nobody yet? But it's a vicious beast, it preys on lone travelers like you!"

Ike turned to look at her. "If it hasn't killed anyone yet, how do you know it's vicious?" He asked. It was so typical of humans to assume the worst. How many times had he befriended an animal that had merely been misunderstood or mistreated and acted out because of it? Not all barks were bad. He refused to change his mind.

Ilia stopped to catch some air and shouted after him: "It's a big, hairy beast!"

Ike sighed. "I'll take my chances." He said to himself as he passed a sign that read _Now leaving Ordon Village, have a safe trip! _

The village fell behind him with its loudly playing children and overly friendly adults and he was surrounded by a serene atmosphere. He exhaled slowly, enjoying such silence and solitude. Trees around him seemed hundreds of years old, their old curled roots stuck out of the ground and his horse stumbled upon them every once in a while, heavy low-hanging branches swept past his head and at times he had to crouch not to be hit in the face. The lush green foliage filtered soft light upon the lone traveler.

It was sublimely quiet. Ike could hear fallen leaves rustle softly beneath his horse's hooves, it was the only sound in the whole forest. He closed his eyes, letting his body rock back and forth on horseback softly as they treaded through the forest. He reveled in such solitude. He had never been out-spoken or very social, while other kids had played games together he had preferred the company of books to his peers.

Why then was a loner willing to take part in such a social event as the Smash Tournament? Winning it meant endless interviews, social events, photo shoots, endorsements, probably a reality TV-show and whatnot… Why would he be willing to do something like that when he couldn't be bothered with people?

The answer was simple, there was a money prize. Ike needed that money. Without it he wouldn't be able to pay his mortgage on the house he and his sister lived in. Mist was barely fourteen, she couldn't help out with the bills yet. The irony of the situation was that although he had helped establish peace in the country it had worked against him and rendered him out of work. Nobody had had further use for him, a war hero, and they had casually forgotten all about him, even princess Elincia.

He had ended up taking odd jobs with mercenaries around the country doing whatever for whoever. Their tasks had wandered from capturing unfaithful husbands to looting conquered castles but usually when money was involved, there was someone who tried to take it from the others. Mercenaries were a lot of back-stabbing, throat-cutting, double-crossing bastards to put it nicely.

Knowing this it was no wonder Ike preferred his solitude. He had witnessed the worst features of humanity so many times it had caused him to brew hatred for his fellow men.

A quiet whine snapped him out of his thoughts. It had sounded like a wounded animal. He immediately thought of the beast that had the nearby villagers terrified. Could it be that the horrible monster the girl had spoken about had attacked an innocent animal and left it to die? Ike dismounted his horse to inspect the sound.

Although he hated people he had a special fondness for animals. He often brought rescued animals home and spoke to them as if they were human. It had sometimes annoyed Mist, but knowing how much her brother loved animals she had learned to love them too. Their house was a sanctuary, not only for the four-legged but also for Ike.

The swordsman pushed low-hanging branches out of his way as he moved closer to the sound. He heard the quiet whine again, it sounded like a puppy or a small dog, so very heart-breaking.

He gasped as he saw the animal in distress. It was no ordinary dog, it was a magnificent grey wolf that glared at him with glowing turquoise eyes. On its forehead was a symbol he didn't recognize, more than a branding mark it looked like a magical symbol. Upon seeing him the wolf hunched its back, growling and flashing its teeth. It was frightened and in pain, its left leg was stuck in a bear trap and blood had smeared its beautiful fur.

"Don't be scared, I don't want to hurt you." Ike said as he slowly inched closer. He moved in slow-motion not to aggravate the beast any further, it was already panicking and any sudden movements could cause it to plunge those sharp canines into his flesh. The wolf moved nervously and never once let its eyes off him but allowed him to come closer.

Ike had to use a lot of strength to pull open the bear trap, lucky for the wolf it had been rigged wrong and hadn't sprung shut with full force. The wound didn't seem life-threatening although the wolf couldn't rest its weight on it. It flashed its teeth when it tried to stand on it as if cringing out of pain.

"Baffles me how anyone could set up traps like that…." Ike said, letting the trap spring shut and tossing it out of view. "Let me see that paw." He continued, extending his hand towards the wolf. It looked at him warily, but allowed him to inspect its wound. Ike cleaned it with the water from his flagon and having nothing to bandage it with took off his bandanna and wrapped it around the wolf's leg. It watched him carefully the whole time, those turquoise eyes staring at him as if they were trying to see into his soul.

"There… that should make it better." Ike said as he finished tying the wound with his bandanna. "You'll be back on your feet in a few days." He added and the wolf licked his hand gratefully.

It really was a magnificent creature, Ike had never seen a wolf so big. Also, it couldn't have been an ordinary wolf since it had the symbol on its forehead. He touched it and the wolf closed its eyes, he let his hand slide behind its ear and scratched gently. The beast let out a low murmur like an attempt to purr. Instead of sounding smooth and delicate like a cat it sounded more like a broken chainsaw trying to start.

_Rah-tat-tat-tat. Rah-tat-tat-tat._

Ike had never heard of a wolf that could purr, but then again he had never met a magical beast before. It made him smile until he realized something.

"Are you the beast that has the villagers frightened to death?" He asked and the wolf fixed those turquoise enchanting eyes on him. It looked at him intensely as if it wanted to say something but when it couldn't it only whined quietly and rested its head on his lap. "You're just an overgrown puppy, aren't you?" Ike exhaled with a smile. "You shouldn't hunt so close to a village. People don't understand, they just want to get rid of you."

He remained with the wolf a little longer before remembering that he was in a hurry to get to the tournament. It saddened him to leave the creature by itself but he knew its wound would heal fast and it would be back to its old self in a few would return to its wild, untamed life in the forest and hopefully never end up in a bear trap again.

Ike stirred to his feet and the wolf looked at him with large, pleading eyes. Those expressive eyes seemed to beg of him to stay, but he knew he couldn't. If he wanted to keep his house he would need to get to the tournament in time and win it.

"You'll be fine in a few days." Ike said to the wolf as he ruffled its neck. "Just try to stay out of trouble." He smiled as he turned around to leave. His horse was grazing not far away, waiting for him patiently.

The wolf got on three feet and limped after him. Ike saw it from the corner of his eye and stopped.

"You can't come with me." He said as he got on one knee and cupped the wolf's head between his hands. "I have somewhere I have to be, you'll only slow me down."

It looked at him apologetically and licked his cheek. How much Ike wanted to take it with him, it seemed so intelligent and kind but even so, it was still a wild beast and trying to tame one was wrong and cruel. It needed to be free.

"This isn't goodbye forever." Ike said with a smile, his index fingers scratching the warm skin beneath the luscious fur. "Once your paw has healed, follow my scent and find me." He said, pointing at the bandanna he had used to tie the wolf's wound.

The beast looked at the bandanna, then at him with a meaningful gaze. Those turquoise eyes seemed to say _I will. _It was silly of Ike to think that a feral creature could understand speech but it seemed like such a sentient, beautiful being that he couldn't help himself. He wanted to believe it had understood him and that their goodbye wasn't forever. Deep inside he knew wolves couldn't be tamed and after a week it wouldn't even recognize him anymore yet still he hoped to see it again. He pressed his lips gently on the mark on its forehead and left.

Ike Greil, the famous mercenary of Princess Elincia, was among the very first few to arrive at the mansion reserved for those attending the tournament. He proceeded to live his life with his new cohabitants as he had always done; he insulted those who tried to befriend him and if that didn't work, he sought out solitude. He had claimed a bench for himself in the far-end corner of the garden where no one else usually went. It was far away from the mansion in a small grove, well hidden from those who didn't know to look for it. As more and more smashers arrived the grove became more and more important to Ike. It was his sanctuary, his refuge from company.

Days passed. Every morning the dining hall was filling with more people. Ike had enjoyed his breakfast alone in a corner table, suddenly he had no corner to himself. Unwilling to engage in meaningless conversation with people he couldn't care less about he asked the kitchen staff to make him a sandwich and retreated to his beloved bench in the far-end corner of the garden. There were still smashers to arrive and he was already anxious about the amount of people. If it weren't for the money prize, he would've left for home.

Ike sat on his bench and picked up the book he had been reading for the past few days. Absent-mindedly he unwrapped the sandwich and murmured to himself about the pickles he had specifically requested them to leave out. _No-good humans, ruining his sandwich with pickles._ He picked them out carefully and tossed them over his shoulder before taking a bite.

He lifted his gaze from his book upon hearing hasty footsteps on the gravel approaching his secret grove. _How did they know about his hideout? Could they be going somewhere else? There wasn't anyplace else in that end of the garden, not even a shed for tools!_ Ike frowned. It wasn't a leisurely trot but a fast-paced run coming straight for him. Suddenly through the foliage came a young man clad in green, tearing his way through the bushes. He halted a few feet away from Ike, panting heavily. He looked at him with cerulean eyes beneath blonde bangs, on his face was an accomplished smile, a kind of relieved happiness as if he had been looking for him.

"There you are!" He exhaled and before Ike could react to such strange behavior the young man had effortlessly slipped into his lap and squeezed against him, his nose nuzzling into his neck.

Ike froze for a second. _A stranger! A complete stranger was sitting in his lap! He didn't even allow Mist that close! _As he recovered from his initial shock he threw the young man off of him, offended to his very soul. "Wh-what do you think you're doing!?" Ike bellowed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Don't you recognize me?" The Hylian said as he stood up and dusted himself off. Ike looked at him; his pointy ears, his facial features, his green clothes and came to the conclusion that he had never ever seen him before. It only added to his bafflement that the other seemed to know him very well and had even assumed that it was all right to hug him. He _definitely _had the wrong person.

"Look, I don't know who you think I am but I'm not your friend." Ike said, glaring at the other. He had dropped his book and lost his sandwich, he was getting very irritated.

The Hylian tilted his head, lifting an eyebrow. Then he pulled out a dirty old bandanna from his pocket and handed it to Ike, smiling at him meaningfully.

"You told me to follow your scent."

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><p>There it is, thanks for reading! Short chapters mean faster updates? One thing is for sure, reviews mean new chapters! So please, drop us a line!<p> 


	2. Disbelief

Hi there, here's Fanun with a new chapter just in time before the holidays! Thank you so much for your reviews, it really makes our day to hear from you! Enjoy! Thanks for being observant nero922, fixed it!

**WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Boys' love! Ike being a jackass!**

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><p><strong>MY BEAST<strong>

**CHAPTER 2: DISBELIEF**

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><p>"You told me to follow your scent." Link looked at him, holding his hands around the bandanna in his closed palm. On his face was the most innocent, benevolent smile Ike had ever seen.<p>

Ike staggered, his face frozen in an expression of utter disbelief. _What had he just heard? What scent? How would a… whatever race the man was representing find him using his scent?_ He was too confused to make the connection between Link and the wolf he had met in Faron Woods.

"I did no such thing." He uttered quickly as he pulled his hand away and the bandanna fell on the ground. He couldn't think of anything else to say. _Was the other just trying to play mind games with him? How could he try such dirty tricks with such an innocent fool's face? Who even smiled like that, so casually?_ Ike's brow furrowed as his mind ran into darker waters.

Link eventually broke the silence between them: "I know it's kind of sudden… I can see you're a little confused but I have to say this." He took a deep breath, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I know we don't really even know each other but I think _I love you._"

"W-what?" Ike asked while taking a step back, unable to comprehend what had just happened. A young man had first accosted him, then claimed to have tracked him using his scent and finally confessed his love for him even before stating his own name. Ike had never met anyone like him. He was beyond puzzlement, he had reached the point where his brain went and sighed: _Oh f*** it. _

"I know it's a lot to take in at once so it's okay, take your time." Link said with a smile as he pressed closer to Ike, curling his hands around him. "I'll just wait right here."

The swordsman stood motionlessly for a moment as his mind tried to catch up with what he had just heard. "Wha… what is going on…?" He asked helplessly as the Hylian pushed up against him, holding onto him like he was his… wait for it… _lover!? _

"What? No! No! Get away from me!" Ike pushed him away as it dawned upon him what the other had just told him. He held Link by the shoulders to keep him at bay, not knowing what else to do. He had never been so uncomfortable in his life. He took a deep breath as he said: "I already told you, I don't recognize you. Whoever you are, just leave me alone."

"But… you told me to follow your scent…" Link clung onto his words and his tunic, Ike couldn't fight his hands off of him while holding him still from the shoulders. If he let go he was afraid that the Hylian would just slam into him again and it was making him very anxious, he was not at all used to being touched by others. No one had ever violated his personal space as outrageously as Link had. TWICE.

"You… you're crazy." Ike exhaled as he failed to make the connection once again. Of course, he had helped_ a wolf_ in the forest, not _a Hylian_ and Link's words only seemed strange and out of context. He was making him uncomfortable and distressed. The closer Link tried to get to him the more suffocated he felt.

"_Crazy?_" Link frowned as he let go of his tunic. "So… you really don't recognize me?" He asked defeatedly, taking a step back. Then he removed one of his gloves, showing Ike a long vertical scar on his wrist. "I know look a little different than in the forest but-" He was cut off by a loud announcement blaring through the garden.

_Welcome all smashers to the Super Smash Brothers tournament of 2015! The opening ceremony will be held in the greenhouse in fifteen minutes! It's time for all of us to gather together and begin by going through house rules, introducing new attendees, balloting the first matches and begin this all new tournament 2015!_

While Link had listened to the announcement Ike had began towards the greenhouse on the other side of the garden, hoping to get a head start and manage to shake the Hylian off his tail. If he could only lose him once he could evade him for the rest of the tournament and not listen to his crazy talk, even more importantly he wouldn't have to deal with all of his touchy-feely approaches. Ike picked up the pace, finding himself for the very first time in his life growing a little _scared_ of someone. If he hadn't been running away from him he would've found it funny that he had not been afraid of _the Black Knight_ yet a Hylian looking for a hug drove him up the wall.

It didn't take long for Link to catch up with him and start talking. "Ike, I really didn't want to start off like this. I know you'll understand if I could just explain-"

"I don't need explanations." Ike said, taking even longer strides. "Just go away."

Link was quiet for a moment, following Ike close by. He almost had to jog to keep up with him. "Anyway… It's really simple, you see when Midna-"

Ike stopped on his tracks and turned to face him, letting out an exasperated sigh. Link almost ran into him but managed to halt just in time. He instinctively put his ears back but kept the eye contact. Although Ike wanted to come off as angry and aggravated, he wasn't. The wolf in Link could sense it. Why did he smell like_ fear?_

"Will you stop following me?" Ike asked in an irritated tone.

Link looked at him, blinked and pointed at the greenhouse not far away from them. "I'm going to the greenhouse too, should I take another route?" He asked.

Ike rolled his eyes upon realizing that there was no way he could shake off the Hylian before getting indoors. He sighed frustratedly and stomped on, Link walked right behind him through the double doors leading to the rotunda. The greenhouse was built on top of an old amphitheater, between the seats and walkways grew plants each more beautiful than the last. It was a magnificent place, Ike would've appreciated its architecture and flora had he not been anxious about the amount of people flocking in. Most of the seats were already filled, he couldn't see a nice solitary seat anywhere. Smashers from all over the world had gathered into the greenhouse and the clamor and concourse were bothering him to no end. He had gone from the frying pan into the fire.

"Hey! Link! Come sit with us!" Peach shouted from the third row, she was standing and waving her hand to catch their attention. She was with Zelda and Marth and they were all looking towards the two. Even Marth was smiling and waving at them to come sit with them. Without thinking Link grabbed Ike's arm and began to pull him after him towards his friends.

Ike flinched and jerked away. He was already anxious and disturbed, the Hylian trying to touch him was just too much. "Don't touch me!" He snapped, holding his arm as if Link had tried to rip it off.

"I'm sorry, I just thought I wouldn't lose you." The Hylian said with an endearing smile. He truly had forgotten it wasn't okay to touch Ike and he was pretty sure he would keep forgetting it. "Come on, we're sitting over there." He said, extending his hand for him to take.

Ike didn't budge. "I'm fine right here." He snapped, not even looking at Link. By the door was a good spot for him. It was a comforting thought that he could exit any moment if he'd feel too uncomfortable by the amount of people.

"You won't hear anything from up here." Link insisted, trying to grab Ike's hand again but the other jerked away just in time.

"What is the matter with you?" Ike snapped, glaring him down. He was left with the last one of his coping mechanisms, insulting others to keep them at bay. "Are those big pointy ears hard of hearing or is there something the matter between them? _Do you not understand when I say leave me alone!?_" He asked.

As if Ike's words had been a gentle breeze the Hylian seemed unaffected by them. "I'll see you after the ceremony then." He said with a smile and trotted to his friends, tossing a glance at him as he sat down.

Ike watched after him in agape. How could he not understand simple words? It was frightening how he disregarded any and all requests to be left alone. Insults seemed to bounce right off of him. What kind of a person was he? Ike sighed. What had he gotten himself into?

The ceremony had already started when Pikachu ran in, it tried to find a spot where it could see the stage but couldn't. It trotted back and forth, whining _pikapii _quietly. Eventually Ike crouched and picked it up on his shoulder where it could see clearly all the way to the stage.

"_Pika pika_!" Pikachu squealed thankfully.

"You're welcome." Ike said with a smile as he rubbed its yellow tummy. He had also calmed down without the Hylian constantly trying to touch him.

On the third row the three friends were curious about Link's new acquaintance. Zelda looked at Ike over her shoulder and saw the swordsman smiling at the small pokemon. She remembered her friend in green having spoken about someone looking a lot like him who had helped him when he had been in wolf form.

"Is he the one you were talking about?" She whispered. Link nodded.

"What happened?" Marth asked curiously. "Why didn't he join us?" He inquired, also looking at the tall swordsman feeding treats to a yellow pokémon.

"I don't know." Link replied with a shrug. "He didn't want to come."

"Did you tell him?" Zelda asked. She had advised Link not to, especially after having heard that his target of affection was none other than the most unsocial person she knew of.

Link nodded. "I tried. He didn't want to listen." He admitted, rubbing his chin as if he found it hard to understand why.

Zelda gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, it's not every day you meet someone who can transform into a wolf." She said.

"I just thought if I'd hand him his bandanna he'd remember me." Link replied as he looked at the dirty old bandanna. He had picked it up before leaving the grove, it meant a lot to him.

"It is quite a leap of faith, isn't it?" Marth asked, leaning closer to the two.

"I know I might look different but who I am hasn't changed." Link exhaled. Ike hadn't even paid the effort to hear him out only because he walked on two feet instead of four. "I was sure he'd recognize me, he even _rubbed me behind the ear _back then_…_ that means love, right?" He looked at his friends.

Zelda nodded slowly as if she was hesitating her answer, Marth remained unmoved apart from blinking once or twice. Link knew they couldn't understand what it meant to have fallen in love as a wolf. It was unconditional love. Whatever Ike would say or do he would still seek for him and stay with him, guard him and accompany him. "I just want him to do that again…" He said quietly.

"I'm sure he'll learn to like you once he gets to know you." Zelda said with a smile. "Forget about the wolf. It's not who you are." She patted him on the head, immediately realizing that she was treating him like a wolf as well and jerked away.

"Yeah… I'll just have to make him understand." Link said with a smile. He glanced at Ike once again, the swordsman seemed to have forgotten there was a ceremony, he was having so much fun feeding the tiny pokémon treats. Pikachu squealed at every treat and Ike's smile only grew wider. Link pressed his lips tightly together as he made himself a promise. He knew Ike had a soft side, he had seen it in his wolf form. He would find it and latch onto it and never let go.

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><p>Happy holidays everyone! Did you like this chapter? Please review if you'd like to see more!<p> 


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